Shopify’s latest product trends update has revealed Christmas in July celebrations were a driver of sales for a range of products in the month of July.

Advent calendar sales saw a staggering 752.2% month-on-month (MoM) increase, making it the second-most popular category in terms of percentage increase. Seasonal and holiday decorations also experienced a significant surge, with a 151.1% MoM increase.

In the beverages category, fruity-flavoured alcoholic drinks saw sales increase by 139.1%, while beer experienced a modest rise of 4.1%. However, spirits such as vodka, tequila, and rum saw a decrease in popularity, with decreases of 4.9%, 19.5%, and 1.7% respectively. Despite these shifts, whiskey maintained its position as Australia’s most popular beverage, ranking fourth in terms of Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) by category.

Sales of ‘girl dinner’ items such as cheese, meat, nuts and seeds, and cutting boards decreased by 18.5%, 10.7%, 19.3%, and 20.4% respectively. On the other hand, white noise machines saw a 237.5% MoM increase in sales, reflecting a growing reliance on these devices to improve sleep quality.

Beauty-related categories led the sales in terms of GMV, with products such as lotions, moisturisers, and makeup items topping the charts nationally. Hair straighteners experienced a 121.4% month-over-month increase, while skin care rollers rose by 31.5%. Highlighters and luminisers saw a 30.2% boost, and sales of teeth whiteners grew by 14.8% MoM.

Cricket-related sales increased with cricket bats (87.9%), cricket balls (74.2%), cricket protective gear (84.9%), and cricket gloves (65.3%) all increasing in popularity over the past month. Winter sports gear such as snowboard goggles (58%), skis (55%), snowboard bags (40.6%), snowboards (33.1%), and snowboard boots (16.7%) are on the rise. However, tennis-related equipment saw a significant decrease in MoM purchases (38.5%).

Wetsuits topped the list in Australia as the most popular sport-related purchase overall, ranking as the 13th most popular category overall in July. The top five trending product categories for July (by percentage increase) were Ice Cream Makers, Advent Calendars, White Noise Machines, Seasonal and Holiday Decorations, and Flavoured Alcoholic Beverages. The top five most popular product categories for July (by GMV) were Lotion & Moisturiser, Face Makeup, Eye Makeup, Whiskey, and Sheds, Garages and Carports.